Nonoverfill and relief device



Oct. 28, 1941. c, L, KELLER 2,261,032

NONOVERFILL AND RELIEF DEVICE I Filed Nov. 15, 1939 lira-.5.

INVENTOR. Cl/A/fl. as L. KE'LLE/t.

ATTORNEYS.

Patented a. 2a, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,201,: v

' NoNovsnr-nr. AND missnsvrcn Charles 1.. Keller, Cincinnati, Ohio,amignor to The Richardson corporation of Ohio Company, Lockiand, Ohio,at

Application November 15, 1939, semi N..- scum scnims- (01.1mm)

Y My invention relates to means for controlling I the electrolyte instorage batteries and in par- 1 ticular to means for preventingover-filling of the various cells while permitting-adequate venting ofgas from the space above the electrolyte. My inventionis related to mycopending application entitled Liquid level control device. for storagebatteries, Serial No. 276,826, filed June 1, 1939, which issued February25, 1941 as U. 8. Letters Patent 3,233,081, in that'a valve means is em-'ployed. I 2

The general objects in my invention are the provision of means for the,purpose described which are cheap. positive in action; readily replacedwithout disassembling the'storage battery,

and which do not complicate or increase the cost of manufacture of thecell cover. I

' In one aspect of my invention my object is to getaway from thedisadvantages of positive ac-' tuation means for a valve member. Adisadvantage of a number oi the positively actuated the position ofdescribe certain exemplary embodiments. Rei- I erence is made tothewherein:

Figure l is a partial sectional view through the .upper part 01'. a cellof a storage battery showing moved.-

.Figure 2 is apartial sectional view showing the fillercapinplace. IFigure 3 isa partial sectional view showing a modified tom of theinvention.

Figure 4 is apartial sectional view showing a further modification 01'Figure 3 in which a positively actuated valve member is employed.

Figure 5 is a partial sectional view showing the 5 structure of Figure 4with the filler cap in place.

valves proposed in the past was felt in the oper-' ation of initiallycharging or forming the battery, during the course of hich it is thepractice to dump'the electrolyte mm the battery. A number of thepreviously suggested positively actuatopening, which is situated abovethe maximum electrolyte level, in all positions of the storage battery.As a consequence, the operation .0!

dumping became slow and diillcultyand it was not possible to remove fromthe battery allof the electrolyte which could have been removed were thevalve open; In my structure this disadvantage is eliminated.

Also in another aspect of vorce the space containing the valve, whetherthe valve be positively actuated or not, from the opening through whichthe cell is filled, so that no displacement of the valve member can inany way interfere with the filling operation.

Again it is; an object of my invention to pro vide means for preventingelectrolyte, under the the cell relief valve mechanism may be employedwith-.

50 lar' portion I passes downwardly to the desired maximum electrolytelevel-.- The-tubular portion out the necessity for positive actuation.

These and other objects of my invention which ed valves were such as toclose oi! the. gas vent" Briefly in the practice of my invention I pro-'vide, in connection with a cell cover, a filler operiing having atubular portion extending down to the desired maximum electrolyte level.The space within the cell cover above the electrolyte level is vented01' gas through a valved opening. The

valve member is of sufllcient mass to counterbalance a column of liquidin the tubular por-.

,tionreferred' to above, so that in filling the cell,

as soon as the electrolyte reaches the end of the tubular portion, itrises rapidly therein giving to the operator a signal that the fillingoperation is complete and should be discontinued; Thereafter, when thefilling opening is closed, the valve acts to vent the gases from thespace above the electrolyte. I have foundfinbne aspect of my inventionthat it the fillingopening can be separately closed, positive mechanicalactuation of the valve is not required, andthe valve can act as arelief; valve and will be eflective automatically I my invention I diwto relievethe gas pressure." a

i have shown such a structure in Figures 1 and 2. In the first-figure, Iindicates the walls of a storage battery cell within which is the plateI 40 assembly I, the electrolyte being indicated at 3.

will be set forth hereinafter or will be apparent to one 'skilled'in theart upon reading this specification, I accomplishby that certainstructure I or'moreperiorations 1 exteriorto' the tubular andarrangement 01' parts of which! shall now The cell is provided with acell cover! havinga skirt to be'sealedto the battery casewith the usualsealing compound, and having conventional openings for the passage ofthe terminal lugs 5 of the plate, assembly. r The cellcover has a filleropening in the form oi. a well .5. preferably threaded in its upperportion as at 6 or. otherwise provided with means for the engagementtherein or a filler cap. At thebotton'i oi the wella tubu is. openthrough the bottom' of the well and is of less diameter so that ashoulder 8 is'lettwithin the well. This-shoulder is perforated} with onethe parts with the filler cap reportion 7 so that gas collecting withinthe hollow interior of the cell cover above the electrolyte iicientmass, and resistant to the storage battery electrolyte. It may be made,for example, of hard rubber, or other moulded compound; but I prefer tomake it of non-corrosive metal, and in particular of antimonial lead.The mass of the valve member i should be such as to counterbalance acolumn of bular portion 1, so that when the electrolyte reaches thebottom of the tubular portion I it will rise rapidly therein asufiicient distance at least to give a signal to the operator that thefilling operation should cease. ure 1 that the diameter of the openingII in the valve member is sufficient to leave the opening in theinterior of the tubular portion 1 unobstructed and further that theopening it is sufliclently larger than the internal diameter of thetubular portion 1 to disclose an annular portion of the bottom 8 of thewell for a purpose which will hereinafter be described. The externaldiameter oi the washer-shaped valve is such as to permit a loose fit in'the well 5, yet not so small as to permit essential displacement of thewasher in the well. Or if desired valve guiding means may be employedfor the washer as set forth in the copending case of O. 0. Rieserentitled Electrolyte control devices, Serial No. 296,667, filedSeptember 26, 1939.

When the filler cap is in place, if the tubular portion i may be closedoff, the electrolyte cannot come out therethrough under gas pressure,and gas pressure developing within the space above the electrolytecanrelieve itself through the openings 9 by pushing up the valve member.Hence mechanical actuation of the valve member is not necessary. Asshown in Figure 2, I provide a filler cap it having the usual hand-gripportion E2, the threaded portion It for engagement within the filleropening, and an extension it for closing off the upper end of thetubular To this end, the expart I of the cell cover. tension i4 is madelarger in diameter than the internal diameter of the tubular part I; andit may, if desired, be provided with a sealing washliquid rising withinthe tu- I It will be noted in Fi valve seat on which a er I5 which willbe pressed against the shoulder of thebottom of the well thuseffectively sealingofi the tubular part I when the cap is in place. r

Other sealing structures may be adopted within the purview ofmyinventlon. For example the extension I4 can be shaped to enter thepart I, in which it can have a sliding fit sumciently close to act as aseal. Or the interior of the tubular part I can be threaded, and theextension ll of the filler cap can likewise be threaded, in which eventthreaded engagement of the filler cap in the well proper can beeliminated.

The axial length of that when the filler cap is in place, a space iifor. valve movement is left above the valve within the well. When thetubular part I is sealed oil as described or as shown in Figure 2,electrolyte cannot be forced out through the part 1, but gasaccumulating under pressure .in the hollow interior of the cell coverwill escape therefrom through the perforations 9 by raising the valvemember I0. Needless to say the filler cap the extension I4 is such.

itself II communicating with the space I, or equivalent venting means.The filler cap may be provided, if desired, with a washer I8.

A modified structure is shown in Figure 3, and

can be described as comprising an upward ex tension of the tubular partI within the well proper as at la. The part Ia rises nearly, but

not quiteto the height of the walls defining the well. This provides afilling opening-namely the parts 'I-'|a.essentia1ly divorced from thevalve -mechanism and the space within which the valve is held; andchanges the well into an annular space IS. The bottom of the well againprovides the valve seat for the valve member I0, and is perforated as at9. The filler cap 20 is shown as having an extension 2 I, the extensionand tubular part Ia having cooperating threads. An obvious variant ofthis structure is to thread the interior of the well as before, andprovide the filler cap with a cooperatingly threaded annular extensionentering the space i9. In this event the extension 2i may be omitted,and a washer provided within the annular extension to close of! the endof the part la. The filler cap is shown vented as at 23.

The isolation of the well proper or valve space from the filler tube isof advantage also with positively actuated valves. In Figures 4 and 5 afulcrum is provided for the valve member ID within the well. This may beprovided by forming the bottom of the well in two mutually tilted planes24 and 25 the meeting line of which forms the fulcrum, or it may beotherwise provided in any of the ways shown in the application of Rieserreferred to above, or in the copending application of Rieser entitledElectrolyte control devices Serial No. 303,296, filed November 7, 1939.The perforation 9 will be located in a portion of the well bottom whichforms the seat for the valve. The filler cap 26 may be providedwith anannular valve operating member 21 which enters the well, and, as thefiller cap is turned down positively tilts the valve member ID to theposi: tion shown in Figure 5. In a structure in which the valve ismechanically operated, it is not neeessary to seal off the filleropening, so that the filler capmay be vented as at 28-29 and providedwith a splash washer 30 if desired. Since the filler opening isseparatefrom the well, the filler cap should be vented over the well asat 2|, or the well should be vented, above the shoulder,

. into the tubular part Ia.

7 without departing from the spirit of it. Having thus described myinvention, what I claim as new and .desire to secure by Letters Patentis:

f 1. A storage battery cell having a top and a filler opening in theformof a well having a bottom, a tubular extension open through thebottom of said well and terminating downwardly below the top of saidcell cover and the bottom 1 of said well at such a position that if thelevel of electrolyte in a'storage battery cell covered by said cellcover lies at the downward termiwill be vented, as by one or moreperforations nation ofsaid tubular extension, a. suflicient space abovesaid electrolyte'and beneath the top of said cover-will be provided forgas collection, said tubular extension being of less diameter than thediameter of-t'he bottom of said well whereby the bottom of said wellfoi'ms a shoulder, said shoulder'having a perforation external to saidtubular extension for the purpose of venting gases from said gascollection space, a weight actuated valve on said shoulder-configuredand disposed to permit filling of said cell through said tubularextension and having sufiicient mass to counterbalance a column ofelectrolyte therein so as to give an'overfill signal, and a-filler capadapted to bei'nserted in said filler well, said filler cap having meansfor closing ofijthe top of said tubular 2. A storage battery cell coverhaving Fa top: and a filler opening in the form of a welliwith a bottoma tubular extension open through the bottom' of said well, and dependingbelow'the topofi said cell cover and the bottom of said well-ads cientdistance to provide a as'col- 2 g 7, said tubular extensionterminates'upwardly at lection s ace above the electrolyte in astorageof said electrolyte is substantially at the downward termination of saidtubular extension, said tubular extension being of lesser diameter thanthe diameter oi the bottom of said well', whereby the bottom of saidwell forms a shoulder about said tubular extension, said shoulder beingpertions, said weight actuated valve member being perforated to permitthe filling 'of the storage battery cell throughesaid well and tubularextension, and the mass of said weight actuated valve member beingsufiicient" to counterbalance a column of electrolyte in said tubularextension, whereby during the filling of said cell when elec- 'foratedto permit the-passage of gas from said -gas "collection space into saidwell, a'washer shaped, weight operated valve member'lying on 'saidshoulder and adapted, to close said perfora tubular extension thetrapping of said gas in said gas collection space will cause saidelectrolyte to rise in said tubular extension to give anoverfill signal,and a filler cap forsaid filler opening andadapted to beinsertedthcrein, said filler cap having" a means for closing ofithe topof said tubular extension whereby to enforce venting oi.

' the gases in said battery through the perforation in the bottom ofsaid filler well, there being means of escape for said'gases from saidfiller well into. the outer air.

f 3. A structure as claimed in claim 2 in'which said tubular extensionterminates upwardly at relieved to permit opcration of said valvein-anthe bottom of said filler well, said filler capbeing other portion.4

battery cell covered by said cover when-the level" I sealthe top of saidfiller well.

4. A structure as claimed in claim 2 in which i K said. tubularextension terminates upwardly at the bottom of said fillenwell, saidfiller cap being relieved to permit operation of said valve in an-.

other portion, and said filler cap being vented by having a perforationleading to the said r e lieved portion. 1 Y

5. A structure as claimed in claim-2 in which another portion, saidfiller cap being vented by having a perforation leading to the saidrelieved portion, and said filler capvalso having means to 6. Astructureas claimedin claim gin which said tubular extension terminates upwardlyat the bottom of said filler well, said filler cap being' relieved topermit operation of said valve I in another portionsaid filler cap beingvented by having a perforation. leading to the said relieved portion,said filler cap alsbhaving means to seal the. top of; said filler welland having threaded engagement with the walls of said filler well.

'pHARnEs L.KE11ER.

